Waves for Change
This project's parent organization is Isiqalo - Waves for Change
It operates in South Africa
It uses Surfing
Winner of the Sport for Health Award
More about Waves for Change
The mental health pandemic is South Africa’s great unspoken challenge. Up to 20% of young people growing up in Cape Town’s townships exhibit emotional symptoms consistent with PTSD (Kaminer – UCT). W4C’s intake data suggests this to be higher. Up to 50% of youth attending W4C show emotional symptoms consistent with trauma and anxiety related conditions on entry.
Resources to support wellbeing and mental health in South Africa are small. Only 1% of national health spending is directed at youth. Ratio's of social workers to youth remain at 1:30,000.
Waves for Change is pioneering a winning formula of surfing and evidence based therapy programming to improve emotional wellbeing and break the cycles of violence that keep South Africa's youth from their true potential.